The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1887-03-18

~HefNNNA
tion Il asked whether The time will ever
come In the eSouth"when the sentimental
memories ofthe war win beoutworn, when
sectional jealOusiss will die Of inanitiOn;
whom higher average Intelligence win
bear better fruit ia ahape Of q higher
average Of social humsnity,apd higher
average respect for che individuality Of
equal rights under impartial laws" II
that paper means by this question 20
inquire II the people Of the South have
fully accepted Of the results Of the war,
and without evasion or mental ressrva-
sion have become a. truly patriotic and
loyal TO the general government as those
Of any other section, aud have, with an
earnest purpose, eOtersd upon the com.
mon effort to build up aud strengthen
our common country, then the question
can only be regarded as an insult TO the
integrity aud patriotism OF the people
Of the South, and the intelligence and
loye Of fair dealing Of the people Of the
North. Since 1877 the people Of the
South, 1--WE mean the great predoUinat.
ing body of thsm,) have been laboring
Just as earnestly and faithfully to heget
in the minds Of the people respect for
the equal and exact rights Of all people,
ns those Of any other section, and the
Oregoniaa has we'll chosen remarkably
notable date to mark the point from
which the South started out to place
itself abreast with the North ia indus
trial progress as we'll as devotion to our
common country. But when the Ore
goRlan undertakes to tell the cause
which lel the South in 1877 to ''call .
htlt,D We are constrained TO say that Il
makes miserable, Wholesale misrspre-
ssntation Of the facts which are known
to nearly every American now ormid-
die age. Here Is what that paper says:
"But iu 1887 some Of the shre~der
statesmen Of the South like Ben Hill,
Hampton, Lamar, Gordon, and Colquitt,
began to ses that il was high time to
call halt, to choose between a super
ficial respect for the decent opinions OF
mankind or steady drift to social aud
political destruction. They saw that IL
the SoIth persisted in its turbulence
and bourbonism il would weaken and
wither before the slowly gathering blasts
Of public opinion, just as surely as
slavery fell at the feet Of the outraged
aud inosnsed moral force Of the couAlry,
despite the fact that at the very hour
Of les fall it was stronger by statute and
constitutional enactment than il had
ever been since ths birth Of the nation.
The sin Of > nation inevitably 6nds her
out, and either hsles her to Judgment
aud atonement or sinks her in the Styx."
Now is it true that Ben Hill, Hampton,
etc, called halt ? Not at all. It will
be remembered that in 1876 Samuel J.
Tildsn had been elected President by
majority Of the popular vote Of more
than a quarter of million, and that
certain Republican leaders, among whom
were Zach Chandler, John Sherman,
Garfield, Morton and others, bad enter
ed into a conspiracy, Immediately after
il became known thaS Tilden was elect
ed, to stsal the presidency from him and
transfer it to Hayes, his defeated cppo-
nent. This conspiracy was successful
and was properly denounced by Adams
as "feaud first triumphant in Z merican
history" For the eight years oi
Grants administration the S,uth had
been ruled by the ever hated aud hate
ful military power. During all thsse
years that section had been, as the Ore
gonian properly says, 50 boiling politi-
cal caIdron, bubblinz over with rios,
blood and trouble" This riot, blood
and trouble was the inevitable outgrowth
Of brutal military rule. The South had
prayed long and earnestly to be rid Of
this relic Of tho middle ages, but deaf
ear had constantly been turned ID it By
Grant aud bis advisers. The indigna-
tion and chagrin at the shameful and
unAbashed stealing Of ths presidency
were so keen and dep seated am ,ny
Democrats and conservatives that
Hayes felt that his ti'le to tbs Office
was supported by 20 slender a thread
that he was likely 70 lose Il at any time.
His ahject, craven, trucking nature
was such that be WA willing and ready
TO do anything. or mIks any kial Of
concession, to make SIRE Of his otfise.
Here was the turnias point for the
South. It was ss the lsraslites passing
out Of tho wilderness. Hayes said t,
Hill, Lamar, Gordon and others, who
had 90 long been labOriDg to Gauss the
removal Of the military yoke from their
people, that If they would freely and
fnlly acquissce 10 bis title 10 his otics
without question be would cause the
army to be removed This they cheer
fully accepted at the hand Of the fraud
ulent president, and from that time on
the South has been moving ownward